Aanchal Agarwal –
Published On: September 16, 2021, at 13:10 IST
Bombay High Court earlier this month refused the Bail Application of a man accused of Sexually Harassing and Abetting the Suicide of his 17-year-old niece.
The Court while dismissing the Plea stated that “Society has failed to produce an environment wherein parents, teachers, and adults in the company of the child can recognize the signs of abuse and make sure children receive care and protection”.
This incident took place last year on 6th September. The seventeen-year-old girl had jumped from her balcony located on the 4th floor of a high rise building in Pune.
Three months after the incident her month filed a complaint against the man stating that he has abetted the suicide of her daughter and also harassed her through messages.
The accused is the cousin brother of the girl’s father.
As per the FIR filed during the 2018 board examinations the girl had visited the accused in Aurangabad where he accursedly harassed her by touching her private parts and later sending her inappropriate texts.
The victim kept the screenshots of the texts sent by the accused on her phone but did not show them to anyone apart from her friend who later on asked the victim’s mother if she knew anything about it.
When the victim’s mother questioned her regarding the same, the victim showed her the text and later on committed suicide by jumping off the balcony even before her mother could react.
The Court observed that the victim must have felt isolated and insecure; also she must have feared that no one would believe her story and that ending her life would be a much easier option.
The Court thus denied Bail to the accused stating that Sexual Harassment knows no boundaries.
Also Read: What is Abetment of Suicide?